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As you already know, in order to drive you are required to
carry auto insurance on your vehicle; but you may be asking if you can get car
insurance with convictions on your record. The answer to that is based on many
factors, including what type of convictions and how many you have.

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When you cause an accident, you are under a great deal of
stress. What’s worse, you will also face getting a ticket and eventually a
conviction on your driving record.

There are all sorts of convictions that range from being
less serious, such as running a stop sign, to very serious, such as driving
under the influence of alcohol (DUI). If you have numerous convictions, then
you could face losing your insurance, which in turn means that you would be
unable to drive your vehicle.

Getting Car Insurance with Convictions: What happens if I
have a DUI?

Driving while under the influence of alcohol not only puts
you at risk, but it puts every other person on the road with you at risk as
well. That is why DUI offences carry such heavy fines, suspended licenses and
even loss of auto insurance.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, every 45
minutes there is death in the US caused by a drunk driver. This kind of accident
costs insurance companies plenty, which is why some insurance companies will
see you as a high risk driver
http://www.carinsurancecomparison.com/how-can-i-get-car-insurance-as-a-high-risk-driver/
and may not insure you at all if you have a DUI conviction.

If your insurance company does choose to keep you after a
DUI accident, you can expect your insurance rates to nearly triple. Typically,
it takes 3 to 5 years for an insurance company to lower your rates after a DUI
conviction.

Car Insurance with Convictions and the SR-22

Interestingly, if you live in Delaware, Kentucky, North
Carolina, New York, New Mexico, Oklahoma or Pennsylvania it could take years
for your insurance company to learn about your DUI. That is because these
states don’t require you to provide proof of insurance via an SR-22.

A SR-22 is a from that you have to provide to your insurance
company not only informing them of your DUI, but also informing them that they
are now required by law to immediately inform the state if your insurance
lapses for any reason.

Even though the states specified above don’t require you to
fill out an SR-22, eventually they will discover your DUI conviction. When they
do, they are legally able to raise your rates at the time of discovery or even
cancel your insurance because you did not inform them of your conviction.

The states that do require you to file an SR-22 usually
charge fees for the form. In addition, you will be required to file an SR-22
for at least three years, regardless of how clean you keep your record after
the fact.

In many cases you can have a DUI conviction removed from
your driving record if you take specific classes assigned by the state. In this
case you may not be required to file an SR-22 and, because the conviction
doesn’t actually exist any longer, your insurance rates won’t increase.

If you have more than one DUI, however, don’t expect to have
the option of taking a class to forgive your conviction. In addition, you could
face a suspended license, something your insurance company will receive notice
of.

Some insurance companies will still allow you to have
liability insurance through their company if you have multiple DUIs but not
comprehensive coverage. Your costs will still be very high, but not as high as
having every type of coverage on your vehicle.

This could pose a problem if your vehicle is leased or
financed as your lender will require you to maintain a certain level of
insurance that includes collision and comprehensive coverage.
http://www.carinsurancecomparison.com/what-is-the-difference-between-collision-and-comprehensive-car-insurance-claims/
If you can’t purchase insurance due to your DUIs your bank will purchase
insurance naming themselves the beneficiary of the policy.

You will still be billed the premiums for this policy;
however, the bank receives any payments for your vehicle if you cause an
accident. They want to ensure that they receive payment for your vehicle if you
become uninsurable.

Incidentally, when the bank purchases a car insurance policy
for your vehicle, the premiums are typically at least 2 times more expensive
than if you were to buy it on your own.

Getting Car Insurance with Convictions: Do I need to worry
about other types of convictions?

While a DUI is very serious, it isn’t the worst conviction
that you could get while driving, such as causing an accident that kills
someone. If you are convicted of negligence, it could lead to a manslaughter
conviction and actual jail time.

However, there are many different types of convictions that
are very minor. Any type of conviction will affect your insurance premiums, but
minor offenses, especially ones that don’t lead to an insurance claim, will not
lead to extreme insurance price hikes. However you should still expect to pay
rates that are higher than monthly car insurance average premiums.
http://www.carinsurancecomparison.com/what-is-the-average-monthly-car-insurance-payment

The exception to this is if you have a long history of
convictions on your driving record. Basically, if you have a lot of spending
tickets, then the insurance company is going to increase your risk value. In
other words, insuring you is riskier because you are a careless driver and as
such you rates will increase.

While there are classes that you can take to reduce the
amount of points you accrue on your license, every state has their limit of how
many classes you can take. In addition, these classes cost money, sometimes as
much as $100.

Getting Car Insurance with Conventions: What do I do if my
insurer drops me?

It isn’t the end of the world if your current insurer drops
you as a client, there are other options. First you need to visit your states
Department of Insurance website and see if there is a state sponsored program
you can join. Again, this will be more expensive, but at least you will be able
to drive your vehicle.

You will have to face the fact that if your convictions were
serious enough for your insurance company to drop you, then you are going to
have fewer options than someone with a clean driving record. In addition, you
will pay much higher premiums.

You should take the time to get car insurance quotes
http://www.carinsurancecomparison.com/ from several companies as well. During
the questioning process, you will be asked how many driving convictions you
have, how many accidents, how long ago the accidents occurred and so on. If the
insurance company can’t insure you, you will receive a message that you aren’t
eligible for their auto insurance.

If you don’t want to face that kind of rejection and you
want to save time, then you should use a quote tool that allows you to compare
the rates between several companies at once. You won’t be shown companies that
won’t provide you with insurance, only those that you qualify for.

When using a quote tool, it is important to be honest about
your convictions as this is the only way to get an accurate quote. A quote
isn’t a guarantee of services and if you exclude anything, then you will be
rejected on the back end of the quote, which is when you contact the insurance
company.